For Your Entertainment

I may be a latecomer and you may already know about the following, but they're just too good not to mention:

1) Stieg Larrson--"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," "The Girl Who Played With Fire," and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest"--is my current favorite author.   After reading Tess Gerritsen's books and other similar "female murder victim" books (see my "Cake and Blood" blogpost), I decided to boycott such novels.  I have a big bag of books from friends/relatives and as I weeded out the offensive books, I was left with "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."  I read the synopsis on the back and seeing reference to a missing girl, I was about to set it aside, but heck, it was the last book left AND it was set in Sweden!  I really like Sweden and Swedes and decided to make an exception so I could "travel" to Sweden at last.

Wow, I'm very glad I didn't toss out this book.  It had me up until the wee hours in bed with my little book light.  It's a suspenseful, oh-so-satisfying read with all the elements of the perfect thriller.  I love the mystery, strength and genius of the Girl (Lisbeth Salander) and the integrity and steadfastness of Mikael Blomkvist, the journalist who is the main male character (he could be Stieg Larrson himself from what little I know of him).  I just finished the second book of the trilogy but will take my time getting the third, since sadly, that's all there is and will be. *sniff*

Stieg Larrson, a magazine editor, wrote the three books in his spare time then died suddenly of a heart attack just before they were published.  According to Martha Woodroof of NPR, Larrson was a "crusading anti-fascist journalist who was passionate in his support of anyone being victimized."  I can't tell you how sad I feel that he didn't live to see his books become bestsellers, then subsequently made into movies in Sweden. (There are plans for an American movie.)  Not only is it a huge loss of a great novelist and a courageous journalist, but he was born in 1954 so he was my "classmate," so to speak.

2) Russell Peters--is an Anglo-Indian comedian from Canada.  Look for him on Comedy Central or YouTube.  Funnnnnny!  It was given that I'd like him because I like Bollywood, Indians, and the Indian accent, but Leonard really enjoyed his comedy too.  His comedy is based mostly on the different races, similar to Hawaii's Andy Bumatai and Frank DeLima.  Check him out!

3) I doubt I have to tell you that the new Sex and the City movie will be released next week, but I just found out that Liza Minnelli is making a cameo appearance singing, of all things, Beyonce's "Single Ladies." Too funny!! I've been a fan of Liza's since the 70's and "Cabaret." I was lucky enough to see her twice in concert and she was amazing.  Although I read some disparaging remarks about her singing "Single Ladies," I heard it and loved it as simply something fun.  It's not as though she recorded it as a single, hoping to get on the charts, after all.  Before you go to hear her on this page, be forewarned if you want to know NOTHING about the movie because there's a small spoiler (I don't consider it a big deal really) that explains what she was doing in the movie.

Speaking of SATC, if you're in Vegas and enjoy slot machines, be sure to look for the SATC penny video slot machines. I played them at the Fremont and at Fitzgerald's.   What I loved were the fun bonuses and video snippets from the show!  Be prepared, however, to spend some money.  You might put in $20 and hit no bonuses and poof!  your twenty is gone in three minutes.  On the other hand, when you do hit a bonus it's SATC heaven: depending on the bonus, you get to look at shoes, bags, dresses, wedding gifts, see your favorite characters, etc.   In one of my sessions, I started hitting bonuses immediately and walked away with $150 after almost an hour.  Even better, I sat next to a fellow SATC fan and we enjoyed each other's bonuses, cheering noisily (well ok, you know me, I'm not noisy, but she made me chant "Mr. Big, Mr. Big, Mr. Big!" whenever one of us got a wheel spin.)  Check out this photo I found, by the way...hmm that guy looks familiar...and if you want to see a video of the slot machine itself, along with Chris Noth introducing it, click here.

I hope at least one of the above entertains you!  You deserve it!

Ski Thingy Works!

A few posts back I wrote about the Bodyblade I bought from ShopNBC for around $80 ($69 plus shipping, tax).  Well don't look for before/after pics of me, but I want to report that it seems to be working!  I haven't been using it diligently--not surprising for me--but maybe 5-10 minutes 5 out of 7 days a week for the past couple of months.  Ok, ok, closer to 5 than 10 minutes, I admit it!  The good news is that my jelly belly has flattened a bit (please don't look because the jelly's still there) and my balance has improved.  For the first time ever, my Wii Fit age was 11 years younger than my actual age after taking the weight and balance tests.  My Wii (Un)Fit age was never that low! What's more, I pigged out in Vegas and didn't gain any weight!  Woohoo!

At this point of my life I don't really care about a flat stomach except that a fat one is very unhealthy, but I am concerned with building core strength and balance.  I've been diagnosed to have osteoporosis and refuse to take Fosamax, Boniva, etc.  The thousands of patients who complained of bad side effects on AskaPatient.com scare the heck out of me and besides, Dr. Leia Melead, my naturopathic doc, warned me against them 6 years ago!  In fact, just a couple of months ago, a new frightening side effect was uncovered by ABC News: spontaneous femur fractures.  The femur is normally the strongest bone in the human body and yet there are increasing incidents of women who have been taking biphosphonate drugs (Fosamax, Boniva, Actonel, etc.) fracturing their thigh bones with little cause (i.e. low impact actions such as stepping over things, walking down stairs, etc.).  This is on top of other known side effects such as jaw bone necrosis,  severe joint/muscle pain, heart problems, etc.  I sure hope Sally Field doesn't try to jump rope!

So getting back to my original subject, I would recommend trying the Bodyblade, especially if you're not as lazy as I am (which in all probability you're not).  It's really easy to use and appears to be effective even with minimal use.  After searching the internet, ShopNBC seems to have the best deal and it arrives within a few days if they have it in stock.  Meanwhile, I'll keep you posted as I continue to use my "ski thingy".

Nice and Easy...and Free!

I've got another public service announcement that may save you a lot of frustration if you're trying to put videos on a DVD.  It could've saved me about 8 hours if I found it earlier.  My problem is that I don't give up quickly enough when something's not working.  I refuse to believe something won't do what it should do and stubbornly I keep trying.  I think I have too much faith in my fellow human beans...in this case program writers.  It's amazing that I don't suffer from high blood pressure, but then I do have a lot of white hair (thank goodness for Nice and Messy--I mean Nice and Easy).  Finally after three days of struggling with my converter program and Windows DVD Maker (grrrr!) I googled "Best way to make DVD from mov files" and found a couple of YouTube videos about DVD Flick. This DVD program should be called "Nice and Easy" and it's FREE!

If you own a digital camera or iPod that produces video files that are not compatible with Windows DVD Maker (grrrr), go and download a program called DVD Flick.  If you need a tutorial, check this YouTube video or even this one.  Isn't it ridiculous that Microsoft's DVD Maker program--at least the one I have on this laptop with Vista--won't convert files for us!?  What are we paying them for anyway?  And get this, DVD Flick is FREE (I donated $10 at their site, but it's purely optional). 

Speaking of free "open source" programs, I also use and love Open Office instead of Microsoft Office.  Uh oh, I hope Bill Gates isn't reading my blog.  (Please no snickering!).  I also threw away my Norton's and have been using Avast for the past five years or so.  When searching for free programs, make sure you check their reviews or that they come recommended from a reliable source...unless, of course, you're so mentally fatigued from converting files that keep getting rejected by Microsoft that your hair turns white that you're willing to take advice from some guy called "gunflintwoodshop" on YouTube.  *LOOOOOL*

P.S. And be nice and donate to these free sites!

Things That Make You Go "What?!"

First of all, I've gotta tell someone about the great deal I found on eBay and hopefully one of you can benefit.  I'm sure thousands of people have purchased the iPod Nano 5th generation because Costco's got it featured right at their entrance for months.  We bought one for Jordan for her birthday.  The deal I found is an accessory pack from RDStore on eBay.  OMG!!!  For $9.99 plus $3 shipping, we got a ridiculous 22-piece set of iPod covers (leather, silicone skins, hard clear plastic--about 10 in all?), USB cord with nifty retractable device, car charger, AC charger, 2 screen protectors, earphones, earphone SPLITTER (so two people can listen at once!), armband that fits some of the covers, and wriststrap.  Seriously, now Leonard wants an iPod and is using this set as his excuse, "Hey, why waste all those covers?!"  The quality is good, by the way.  Ordinarily you'd pay about $15 for a leather case alone at a retail store, or the same for a charger.  Even if you don't have a Nano 5th generation, check out the RDStore for other values.  Nope, I don't get commission.

Next I want to give you some good news from Dr. Mercola (usually the bearer of bad health news).  According to this article, pharmaceutical drug trials are inadvertently revealing a phenomenon: We may not need pharmaceutical drugs!  They've been finding the placebos becoming more and more effective.  In other words, more and more patients than ever are healing themselves taking a sugar pill, thinking they're taking the real thing. This made me laugh---score one for natural healing! 

Speaking of things unexplained, Jordan has been to Vegas just twice and twice she spun the $1000 on the Wheel of Fortune (both times on the first night!).  Meanwhile I've been playing slot machines for over 30 years and the most I've won at one pull was $750.  I wonder if slot machines are like our bodies?  Probably Jordan believes she can win so she does and I subconsciously don't believe I can win so I don't?  I guess my placebo frogs and clover keyring aren't working?!  *LOL*

By the way, check out the Society of Seven and Jasmine Trias at the Gold Coast.  We enjoyed their show.  It was reasonably priced plus we got "upgraded" to a better table just minutes before the show.  This was about the fifth time I've been to see SOS and they're always entertaining.  Seeing Jasmine perform was a bonus.  She's really grown as a performer since her AI days!

Lastly, I would like to give this public service suggestion: Snopes.com.   I get forwarded emails every day and have learned to check Snopes.com to confirm even those emails which state "confirmed by Snopes".   Or if you don't believe Snopes, there are other sites which investigate the astounding "facts" we learn every day online.  The reason I'm telling you this is because not only are we doing a disservice to others by perpetuating false info, but I find myself wanting to tell the sender that the info is false.  I often do tell them, but in some cases I hesitate because I hate to burst their bubble.  Take for instance the email about treating heart attacks by coughing.  I was happy that the sender cared enough to send me that information, but when I checked Snopes and another source, found that the info was wrong and may harm instead of help.  I debated whether or not to inform the sender, because maybe next time he won't send me helpful information.  Of course I had to let him know since I didn't want him to use false information. 

So please check everything you find online that seems too wonderful to be true.  Sometimes it IS true, sometimes it's partly true, and sometimes just plain old wrong.  By the way, the bar of soap in your sheets does work to prevent leg cramps!